5 Google Sheets Essentials

Get Your Students Rocking Google Sheets

Spreadsheets are an essential digital literacy. Any manager needs to use spreadsheets. Students of any age can use spreadsheets; check out Christine Pinto and how she has her kindergarteners write spreadsheet formulas. Get students started by learning these key skills:

Increase Column and Row Width

Get your cursor between the column or row indicators. Notice the arrow changes. Click down and DRAG! Select multiple rows or columns at once and resize one to resize the entire selection.

Set Word Wrap

“Middle, Middle, Middle.” Look in the toolbar for the centering icon. The 3 icons next to each other allow you to center horizontally, vertically, and set word wrap. The middle option on the 3rd icon sets the word wrap.

Create Column Headers

Always label what you are putting in the spreadsheet. It is not uncommon to use the first row to type out what is going to go in that column.

Freeze the First Row

When you have column headers you want to freeze that first row so that when you scroll the column headers are not lost. There are 2 ways to freeze the first row. Use the View menu to choose “Freeze” or look up in the “awesome box” to the left of column A and above row 1. Hover the mouse right above the row 1 indicator and it will change into a hand. Click and hold down on that freeze bar and drag it down to freeze the first row.

Merge Cells

“What can you NOT do in a spreadsheet?” is my response when asked, “What can you use spreadsheets for?” Spreadsheets are so versatile and useful you can do almost any assignment utilizing a spreadsheet. To make this true, merging cells is an essential skill. This allows you to create a giant box to put paragraphs of text. Highlight a region of cells and find the merge icon in the toolbar. This looks like a box with 2 arrows pointing towards each other. Click the merge icon and boom, you have a giant textbox.